The present invention relates to a device for restraining eyeglasses around the neck and securing eyeglasses to the head.
The problem of lost or misplaced eyeglasses or sunglasses is familiar to anyone who has worn any type of eyewear. Restraining straps are a common solution to the problem and exist in several different variations. The most common examples of a retention strap is a string, strap, or chain affixed to the frontward portion of the temple legs. This type of strap is useful in that the user can remove the eyewear from the head, lower the eyewear in front of the face, and rest the eyewear on the chest. The strap in this example loops over the neck and holds the glasses around the neck. Variations of this traditional strap include adjustable length straps. A variable length strap can be used to position the eyewear when not in use to be higher or lower on the chest, including close around the neck. Additionally, when used with a strap appropriate for use against the head, a variable length restraining strap can be used to secure eyewear on the head while the user is wearing the glasses. Length adjustment devices in use for variable length restraining straps include a hook-and-loop fastener to fasten the pieces together either directly from two strap parts or where one or both ends of the strap route around a pin and double back on itself or themselves. Several other devices are in use for adjusting the restraining strap length, including buckles and a notched strap, a loop of strap pulled through a constricting device, and both ends of the strap pulled through a constricting device.
Most, if not all, restraining straps are separable from, and often marketed and sold separately from, the eyewear with which they are used. Restraining straps of this kind attach to eyeglasses in many different ways, including a receptacle passed over the rearmost portion of the temple leg that resists removal through constriction of the temple leg and the friction induced thereby. This device may be preferable for restraining straps that are intended to be used to secure the eyewear while wearing the eyewear on the head. An alternative attachment device may be a loop passed over the end of each temple leg and positioned around the forward portion of the temple leg where the loop can be tightened. This type of connection may be preferable for restraining strap systems that do not secure the eyewear while the user is wearing the eyewear.
However, the use of conventional restraining straps may merely mean the substitution of new and different problems for the problem of lost or misplaced eyewear. Conventional eyewear restraining straps may lack adjustability while hanging around the neck or may be awkward and distracting when the eyewear is in use. This is especially true of restraining straps that attach to the forward section of the temple legs. Excessively long restraining straps can be unsightly when not in use (e.g., when the user is wearing the eyeglasses). Additionally, there is the possibility of misplacing the restraining straps themselves when they are detached from the eyewear. The act of attaching and detaching the restraining straps can be difficult and annoying, and the connection methods may be ill-suited to certain types of eyewear. Therefore, when purchasing an eyewear restraining strap, it is important to assess the compatibility of the strap-system with the intended eyewear.
The inability to easily adjust the length of eyewear restraining straps partly explains the fact that most restraining straps may excel at only one function of eyeglass straps (either securing around the neck when not in use or securing around the head while in use).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,364 describes an eyeglass strap that connects with a hook-and-loop fastener behind the user""s head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,472 describes a retractable eyeglass strap that uses a winding mechanism that can be affixed to a hat or worn behind the neck by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,105 describes an adjustable eyeglass strap using an adjustment system positioned at the forward end of two temple legs and using a hook-and-loop fastener system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,075 describes an eyeglass strap that connects to the rearward end of the temple legs of eyeglasses and is adjustable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,291 also describes an eyeglass strap that connects to the rearward end of the temple legs of eyeglasses and is adjustable.
It is an object of the invention to provide a restraining strap system for eyewear that addresses the problems noted above, while providing an easy to use and aesthetically pleasing eyewear accessory. According to one example embodiment of the present invention, the device for restraining eyeglasses includes two temple legs, each of the temple legs connecting to an end piece of a central frame member; a strap that connects to both temple legs and is able to be separated into two strap parts; an arrangement for adjusting the length of a strap part or the lengths of both strap parts; and a connector for the two rearward ends of the strap parts. Alternative embodiments provide various connection arrangements for the strap parts, various length adjustment arrangements, and additional accessories including stop mechanisms and hold/release mechanisms.